Mandatory School Uniforms
“Give me liberty or give me death!’’ The infamous words of Patrick Henry are the first to come to mind when one contemplates the fiery debate of whether uniforms should be mandated in schools. According to the New World Encyclopedia 2010, “freedom of speech is the right to communicate one’s opinion and ideas without the fear of government retaliation or censorship.” Thus, the main argument against mandatory uniforms in schools is that they equate to government censorship or a violation of our first amendment rights. However, it is my belief that using the aforementioned premise, terrorists who have become US citizens should then be permitted to bomb and kill as they please; all in the name of ‘expressing themselves freely’. Furthermore, the constitution much like the bible was written ages ago for a completely different America and is meant to be interpreted as times change. Especially for the day in age we live in; uniforms are the best insurance “we the people” and the government can have to achieve the one thing that leads to the all american dream of success being realized- “the pursuit of happiness.” My main three reasons to support uniforms in schools are; the reduction of peer pressure in schools leads to increased learning, lessening the frequency of violence and sexual harassment in schools, and that they are more economically feasible.
A bulletin published by The National Association of Secondary School Principles in April of this year
Determining what to wear to school is difficult for the majority of middle and high schoolers. Wouldn't it be simpler to just have a set outfit planned for each and every day? Throughout education history, the concept of school uniforms has been experimented and debated within both public and private schools. Several schools across the United States require these uniforms, while the rest apply a dress code. Although applying a dress code may seem as if it eliminates all issues with inappropriate clothing violation, it is truly not advantageous. The only alternative to mend this situation would be to enforce school uniforms. Not only would this decrease dress code violations, it would lessen discipline referrals, improve students' self esteems,
One of the biggest miseries of back-to-school is the return of the uniform. From tiny villages to the nation’s largest cities, school uniforms have grown so familiar in the last few years that in numerous districts of the world, they’re no longer the exception, but an order. You would think the great school uniform debate shouldn't be that controversial of a subject, after all, we’re only talking about clothes here. However, uniforms have led to many heated arguments among parents of many students, despite the debate, there are in fact many advantages and disadvantages to requiring students to wear those attire to school. Despite all opinions regulations that impose school uniforms could possibly be civil rights violations, such as the right to free speech, right to privacy and freedom of religion. In spite the fact that many parents and the majority of the students are against the obligation of uniforms, it's still an exceedingly popular tendency among schools. Most people are in disagreement with the idea for many reasons, for instance, they believe it abolishes the students right to express themselves freely, it harms the outcome of a student self-image and sabotages the assurance of a free education by imposing an extra expense on families.
School uniforms in public schools have become more common throughout the United States of America Most public schools would benefit if uniforms were to be adopted and made a mandatory policy. Everyone has their own point of view, therefore we have many different opinions. When putting in consideration, both the positive and negative effects, the positive effects will always outweigh the negative. Uniforms should be required in public schools because their use would lead to less violence, better education, and expressing their middle class ages.
In 1755, Benjamin Franklin, inventor, author, and founding father of the American government wrote, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Thus, in regards to the debate of the school uniform policy, could it be said, to conform to the masses to secure a little safety; liberty is being forsaken? Uniforms have been around for centuries; yet, only more recently introduced into American public schools in 1979, as a way to combat differences in social status among students. Today, school uniform policies are being looked at as a way to combat violence in the American school systems. Collin’s English Dictionary online defines uniforms as a prescribed
“If it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear uniforms” This statement from Bill Clinton was what started a movement toward using uniforms in-state school in the United States in 1996. Since then school uniforms have become a common thing in the school system in the United States. There is no doubt that school uniforms can lead to loss of students’ rights to express themselves and that school uniforms will not generally stop bullying even though they might increase student’s safety.
Imagine being back in middle and high school and waking up everyday to get ready for school. Depending on how students are feeling that day, they put on an outfit that makes them feel their best. Students go to school and are surrounded by other students who have many diverse styles and looks. Now imagine waking up to go to school and having to wear exactly what everyone else in the school is wearing -- the dreaded school uniform. That image will make most young people, who thrive on individuality and creativity, cringe at just the thought.
Nowadays, we see many teenagers dress in spaghetti-strap tank tops, low-cut shirts, drop pants, pajamas, and even spandex shorts in school even though there have been policies about dress codes. Teachers, parents, and other adults feel disgruntled about the way they dress. Many students also complain about difficulties in concentrating on schoolwork because of the same reason. Obviously, what students wear to school has become a very distracting issue in the school environment. Therefore, school uniforms should be required in public schools due to many reasons.
In this paper you will find four main reasons why all public schools should adopt a school uniform policy, and there is a paragraph with a counter argument with school uniforms. There is a discussion on how the crime rate decreases amongst students, how uniforms save the families money, how gang related activities have decreased, and how there is less stress between students and parents. By the time you finish reading this paper, you too should agree that all public schools should adopt a school uniform policy.
Some people also argue that mandatory uniforms could be considered a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution, located in the Bill of Rights (Hudson). People argue this because they feel that uniforms limit self expression, which is a coveted right by most people outside of America. “I’ll tell you; we’re proposing that everyone can only get along if everyone conforms to the same standards. It’s not a healthy lesson. The message should be conflict resolution no matter the physical appearance. In the real world, people do not all look the same” (Hoofnagle). Uniforms will not prepare a child for the future. They will make a rougher future for most children because they will not understand that people have the right to be unique, diverse, and to express their individuality.
School is a place to learn, grow and acquire the necessary fundamentals to become a productive adult in society. I believe school uniformity create an environment where kids can learn and focus on their education. School uniforms should be required in grades pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. I recognize that school uniforms create structure and discipline, equality and a sense of belonging amongst each other, and lastly school uniforms are cost effective. There have been many on-going debates for and against school uniforms for years. In the following paragraphs I will support my claims on why school uniforms should be required. In high school back in 1997 our school did not require for us to wear uniforms. Everyone was free to wear what they wanted and school staff was quite lenient with the dress code. Amongst my peers I noticed a lot of kids seem to have no discipline in their life, school was not a priority for them. Our school had a very high drop-out rate, tardies and absences were also high. I believe that if our school would have required the students to wear uniforms, it could have made some type of difference. According to one surveyed parent pro school uniforms, "School uniforms send a signal that school is something to be serious about. I agree with the parents views, because when children have rules and guidelines that they have to follow, that teaches them structure and discipline. In result, the discipline can help guide
Then another one about High School and College is changed to wear uniforms anymore before school was Elementary and Middle School must to wear it. For High School, any clothing is wear about good behaoir and growing up for adults. About want to see wear in schools is fashion and looking outfits of the weeks. It's students want to see something for models in school with girls is pretty with clothes and boys is handsome was uniforming that different. The most school must to rule school about wear to clothing something for students do not allow bring a show in class. It's happening to High School quickly to disruption take away is negative something with student for school are uniforms. For College can allow wearing any clothing enough to adults
The obnoxious ringing of the alarm had been going on far too long when, suddenly, Lindsey jolts out of bed after realizing she has already hit snooze three times. Lindsey now has to find a way to be ready for school in five minutes with no outfit pre-planned; she will have to make the sacrifice of wearing sweatpants just to have time to eat breakfast! Students all over the world have the freedom to decide what they will wear to school each day, but is the freedom really worth having to put thought in to what you will wear each day, having to abide by a stricter dress code, risking judgement upon yourself, and spending a greater amount of money on clothing each year? As a student who has been required to wear a uniform throughout thirteen years of school, I have grown an appreciation for them. Uniforms should not be as ridiculed as they are, as they are actually a positive, manageable choice of clothing that all students should want to wear to school each day!
In the United States, the everyday outfitting of public school students has been under debate since the fall of 1987. The first public school to enforce the school uniform policies were in Baltimore, Maryland with Cherry Hill Elementary School. The origin of the policy in Maryland has been linked to a local public school shooting in 1986, which involved a student being wounded during a fight over a pair of $95 sunglasses (ProCon.org). By the fall of the next year, 41 other public schools in Washington, DC had joined the movement with also establishing mandatory school uniforms for the students. Fast forwarding to the year 2014, about 51% of public schools throughout the United States are requiring some kind of dress code for their students,
School uniforms are increasingly popular across the nation. In fact, it becomes a huge controversial argument of communities rejecting these mandated school uniforms in their schools. However, school uniforms are not a negative thing; in fact, it could be positive in many ways by: eliminating cliques, saving money for parents, and taking away the bullying from students less fortunate. Meanwhile, on the other side of the argument, people believe that school uniforms will violate students’ freedom of expression, create a financial burden on families, and uniforms will not alleviate problems. However, with a solution that would benefit both parties, the public school systems in Oklahoma City district would benefit greatly if this policy were adopted in all the schools; since, the district only has 74 public schools in uniforms, while 17 schools are not.
School systems have debated for years if they should make school uniforms mandatory for all students. Some parents do not want school systems to mandate uniforms due to pressure from their children to be able to maintain their individuality through clothing, while other parents prefer uniforms to reduce spending money on name brand school clothes and to minimize associations with gangs. More school systems across the United States of America are going to uniforms from grades one through twelve where students are still impressionable by their peers. I believe public schools should require students to wear school uniforms to help parents save money in these hard economic times, to limit the number of incidents of violence in the school systems due to gangs and gang associates such as colors, and to prepare students for the job force after school where some places make it mandatory to wear uniforms to work every day.